The Call to Give
The giving of God’s people is an expression of holy joy. It is a way of rejoicing in all the riches of grace and benefits of salvation that we have received from God and as such it is our privilege as an act of Christian worship to give to the Lord as we set apart to Him from what He has first given us. In doing so we present ourselves in thanksgiving as a living sacrifice to God. We are called to give of our substance regularly, purposefully, generously, and joyfully to the Lord through his church.
What About the Worship Service?
As it stands, some members give each week. Others give once or twice a month according to their pay schedule. In the past God’s people gave as their tithes and offerings of the crops of their fields at harvest time, of their livestock, of their property, of their money, etc. all of which was not necessarily physically present in the worship of the church but those offerings were no less acts of worship brought to the public worship service in hearts of God’s people. In that way though some give once a month, others twice a month, and now some may choose to give online, all who give unto the Lord and are present at the public worship service are participating corporately in giving unto God out of His abundant blessings to them. Allowing members the flexibility to give electronically does not mean they are not participating in the corporate act of giving any less than for those who give cash or a check once or twice a month.
If members find it helpful, they may decide to print a receipt of their online transaction and place it in the offering plate during the collection. We should remember that though the actual transfer of funds may take place before the worship service (as in the case of online giving) or after the worship service (as in the case of a check that needs to be deposited and cleared) the act of worship is expressed in the orientation of the giver’s heart having given to the Lord as a response to His grace and surely such offerings will be used as a blessing by the Lord.
Giving Thoughtfully and Prayerfully
As in any case in which we give to the Lord we do so having first decided in our hearts to respond to the Lord’s faithfulness and grace to us with our giving. Although some may choose to give digitally in a way similar to how they pay other financial obligations, we should take care not to think of our giving electronically in the same way as paying our electric bill. Just as we would prayerfully consider the writing of our tithe check distinct from our mortgage check, so too when we give electronically we ought to do so with thoughtfulness and thankful prayer.